This is one of those posts that I hope I don't have to write and yet this is the reality of rabbit keeping...at least, sometimes. I had a difficult start this breeding season, partially because the heat of summer stayed well into the autumn season, which probably contributed to why the first breeding did not take—the bucks must have been heat sterile. Then there was the fact that I only had two does breeding age to start and I wanted to show them both, but especially Luna, who did not do as well as I hoped at first but when the cooler weather came, she finally went into prime condition, won her legs, and was ready to be bred. Finally, I had pregnant does, but.... Twilight, a first time mom, was clueless after she kindled and wanted to lie in the nest, but after separating her from her kits a few days until her milk came in, she was a great mother to her four kits and they are all looking healthy, fast growing, and quite wide. Canyon had three—one black, one blue, and one w...

I went into the rabbitry with my focus on the XCY-3 kindle, but when I turned around, there was fur all over Misty Blue's cage and she was still pulling! In all these years, I have only caught two does kindling and she was not one of them. I was certain that she does not pull fur until beginning labor but today I witnessed it! So, I proceeded to feed the rabbits and while Misty Blue was birthing her babies inside the nesting box hutch side of the kindling suite, I played with the XCY bunnies. They are so much fun! The other thing I am very happy about is that Canyon, their mother, who was so fearful of me since coming here from Silver Lox, has been very relax about letting me pet her and play with her bunnies! They still like to lick me a lot and are just too much fun watching them zip around the cage. When Misty Blue hopped out, I checked to find only three kits not covered with about a day or two growth of fur on them all. Misty was a little annoyed with me, I thin...

A doe can build her nest at any time during the pregnancy, but they seem to have an urgency to do so in the last week, or even the last few days. Many breeders do not place in a nesting box until the last week or few days because some does will use it to stay warm and/or use it as a bathroom, if it is placed in the cage before they are feeling that urge to build a nest.  Whoops has been in our "kindling suite," a two compartment cage that has a drop nesting box on one side with its own door and cage with baby catching wire all around that is not as deep as our other cages on the other side. I love that I can close off the nesting box hutch until it is needed or to inspect the kindle in the nest without the mother being protective and pestering. Whoops is not due until March 11th, but she began haystaching —probably not a real word (unless you are a rabbit breeder)—rather early. I opened up the nesting box side because once she builds a nest, it is used for nothing el...